Mass Effect: Jokers Tale
by el mano
Summary: yep so this is a FemshepardxJoker, i love the pairing and i hope you love the original idea i had listening to music. and if it isn't original than its not... okay peace.
1. Chapter 1

**El Mano: so hey there, I've been reading a lot of Mass Effect fanfics and I decided to try one, it turned out better than I expected. I hope you enjoy! Peace out homie. P.s I do not own anything at all.**

It was a shock when the Normandy rolled to its side, a massive tear on the side of the ship had already spaced half the crew, the others life supports came on line just in time to prevent the same fate. All I could do was keep her moving and dodging the particle beams by a hairs breath. I could save her, I could save what was left, and all I had to do was keep going and dodging. All coms were on and all I could say was "SSV Normandy, hit by unknown Frigate, request immediate back up!" I don't know how long I was screaming it into the microphones but my voice had gone hoarse from all the yelling. I could feel her before I could see her.

"Joker we GOTTA GO NOW!" she pulls my arm and I felt my shoulder dislocate.

"NO! I can still save her!" I pull my arm back and shrugged off the pain as I dodged another beam. I had no choice when she lifted me out and started to drag me to the escape pod. I looked back and saw the controls tilting to the left and I looked out through the hull at the unknown ship, its particle beam slowly powering up. "No, I can still save her." I looked up at Tera, while pulling out a data pad from my vest and with all my strength I pushed her and the pad into the escape pod and hit the launch button. The bulkhead door slid softly into place. She immediately tried to open the door which ended up with her pounding away at the unmoving obstacle and all I could do was look into her memorizing green eyes.

"Joker, you open this pod right now!" she screams through my ear piece and I smile.

Suddenly the ships automated message activated. "Launch failure, manual launch required." Her eyes widened and I take one look at her before turning back for the cockpit.

"Joker! Don't you go back, you open this pod and you get your crippled ass in here that's an order!" I can hear her pounding against the steel door but I can't obey that order.

"Listen commander, I appreciate the gesture but you know as well as I do that the universe can do without a crippled pilot." By now the gravity was offline. So I floated right into my chair.

"It's my job to protect this crew Joker, it's my job to sacrifice myself, and it's my job to die for the bigger picture! You don't have the right to stop me from doing my job!" I can hear the tears in my ears and her scared sobbing voice tore into me a gash as big as the Normandy but I can't stop now the other ship is going to fire soon.

"Not for me Tera, you don't get to do that for me." She launches just as the beam rips through the rest of the shields and the hull of the ship.

"JEFF!" I hear her voice, the last voice I'll ever hear as I got spaced. I don't know how long I drifted all I could feel was the cold. The small shielding I had wouldn't protect me from the cold for long as I drifted through space. However my oxygen would run out long before I froze to death. I looked at the stars in wonder, this was freedom and this would be my last sight, and what a sight it was. Tears crept up and I could barely hold them back as I felt my oxygen slowly start to become Carbon Dioxide. My breathing came faster and faster, and I started to struggle, I probably broke my back as I seized for anything to grip onto that could prolong my life but I lost my strength and my lungs started freezing up and then I remember nothing.

/with Shepard/

My helmet flew across the cabin at the glass window; it didn't even make a crack. I couldn't even stop the tears from running down my face. "Jeff…" I couldn't believe it, he was gone. That cocky son of a bitch gave his life for me. I slid down the back of the pod and cried, I cried for a long time even though I didn't know how long it would be until I was recovered and it'd be wise to conserve my water I couldn't stop myself, something deep inside me was lost with Joker. He was always there with a quick joke or a "cheer up at least you can dance." No one would admit it but he had held them together with his antics when everything threatened to fall apart and even though he was an asshole at times he meant more to her than she realized. Their late night coffee breaks, their inside jokes, the way he looked at her after each mission, even if she came back covered in synthetic blood and dirt and grime he would smile at her and say something witty or give her a compliment. "God damn it!" I punched the steel wall as hard as I could and broke my hand, or that's what it felt like.

I cradled my hand and continued crying, not for the pain but for Jeff, he was probably killed instantly but that thought didn't cheer me up like it did for Kaidan. It made me wish it was me who had tossed him in sooner and I died in the explosion. The pod rumbled as the engines cut off and a data pad slid out from under the bench a small envelope held to it by a rubber band. I wiped my eyes and grabbed it curiously. My vision was a bit blurry but I could make out the chicken scratch on the envelope, it said "_Shepard"._ I slowly opened it and poured out the content which was surprisingly a small gold chain with a white dove charm. Suddenly the data pad came to life as my finger brushed up against its on button to reveal my helmsman Jeff "Joker" Moreau in his chair, his face in deep concentration.

"_Is this thing on... okay the red button is on… so it's on. Damn I gotta start all over, you know what fuck it." _Joker made a face and she almost laughed. "_So Shepard if you are viewing this… *sigh* you know I'm dead. _She almost started sobbing again but his sudden smile stopped her. "_But if I'm dead that means that the great Commander Shepard must've been saved by yours truly. _He pointed to himself and if it could be possible he seemed even cockier. _"Even if I still managed to save your life, you're probably wondering why I did it in the first place." _

She straightened up and listened very closely to what he said next. "_After Virmire and the death of Kaidan, you were more shook up and rattled than I ever thought you could be, and then the next few weeks you wandered around like a ghost questioning every move you made." _His face showed a pained expression as he continued. "_I couldn't help you like Kaiden could or Garrus could or anyone else on this ship could. I felt worse when I pushed you away with sharp comments or a smartass one liner."_

He smiled bitterly "_You know, I envied Kaiden, he was strong and abled even if he was slightly handicapped, and at least he meant something to you and earned your affection even though he was as good as flirting as he was a co-pilot which is to say he couldn't fly worth shit." _She let out a chuckle at the comment but she was more interested in what he said before about being envious of Kaiden. Then he smiled which caught her off guard. "_but I couldn't help but be happy when you came to me in the middle of the night and just talked, i became reliant on your visits, it made me feel like I was more than just a pilot." he smiled at her brightly. "But to be honest it wasn't that I was able to talk to you that made me happy, it's because I felt that there was a chance that you might actually depend on me. And maybe return my feeling for you." _Her breath caught in her throat as he laughed lightly.

"_Yeah I bet you weren't expecting that, I can't even believe I'm saying this but I guess I sort of kind of maybe like you in a way that a person of lower rank should not like their superior officer." _he winked and she couldn't help but blush. "_But time is running short, you'll be up here soon and I need to get this all edited before you show up." _he reached into his collar and pulled out the very necklace that was in her hands, his face softened _"my mother gave this necklace to me when I graduated from flight school at the top of my class. She died two months later from cancer. _His face saddened but he smiled _"she told me that wherever I go she would fly with me. And this is what I want to give to you in case I die and you live." _His face turned slightly serious but it didn't take away from his ever present smile_ "the Normandy and I will fly with you wherever you desire, from hell to fighting the reapers… and we'll make you look good as we dance on their asses." _he put the chain in the envelope and wrote her name on it. "

"_Joker, what are you doing with Tali's Video camera?" she appeared into view and Joker knocked the camera to the ground. _

_She could only see his feet "sorry, commander I'm making a video for my mom." The camera shook as someone picked it up and she saw her smiling face. _

"_Hmm. Hi Mrs. Moreau! I'm taking care of your boy alright here, say hi joker." She pointed the camera at him and Joker frowned. _

"_Hi mom, now give me the camera." _

_He reached out for it but the camera got turned around and she faked frowned "Sorry Mrs. Moreau but your son wants to say he loves you and misses you and he wouldn't trade the world for you." She smiled brightly as the camera was taken from her grasp and a blushing Joker turned the camera on himself._

"_So that's all true and I do want to say that to you, take care and remember I love you." He winked and turned off the camera. _

The pad powered down after the message but she couldn't help but hold it tighter to her ample chest and smiled lightly. He wouldn't have wanted me to cry anymore. She looked down at the necklace and her smile got bigger, he was with her. She tied the chain around her neck and held it in close with one had. A tear escaped her eyes "you Bastard, you shouldn't have hid how you felt about Me." she didn't know how or why but she fell asleep and the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by Garrus on another Alliance ship.

**El Mano: so I'm deciding on whether to continue or not, you the viewers will have to review and judging by the reviews I will continue. take care everybody and just to remind you I do not own anything. **


	2. The Fallout

**El Mano: review please it's my life force! Well here's a second chapter to Jokers Tale I hope you like the first, well here we go**

Chapter 2: The Fallout

It wasn't long after the destruction of the Normandy that the crew fell apart. Councilor Anderson fought for a new ship to be built for me and the crew but it fell on the deaf ears of the other councilors. Luckily I was able to keep my specter status even though the Turian Councilor wanted me more than just grounded until the investigation cleared up. I kept Jokers Data Pad, even when the councilors wanted to have it considered evidence I was able to keep what was on it a secret due to Andersons involvement.

The people worshipped me and the alliance used my image as a poster board for recruitment purposes. But even as I was stuck on the citadel, the most beautiful space station in our space, I couldn't stop thinking about the Reapers, I've requested that I be able to pursue the trail but the Council refused my request every time and stating that it was a myth and sweeping all evidence under the rug and pretending that the attack on the citadel a little more than a year ago was just a Geth attack. Every time I asked I would become more frustrated until I finally gave up. But that didn't mean I would stop gathering and preparing for it.

I entered my apartment, it was Spartan just like a soldiers' apartment should be, but it wasn't the apartment that made me feel lonely, I missed all of them. Kaidan died in the line of duty and was awarded the Silver Star from the alliance, Ashely was recruited for N7 training and I haven't heard from her for the past 9 months, Garrus went to the Terminus System to hunt bad guys, Wrex went back to Tuchanka to reunite the clans and try to pacify his brethren, Liara drifted around a bit but disappeared after some time. She sends letters sometimes. Dr. Chakwas was sent to work on mars, and Tali went back to the Migrant fleet a hero. Everyone moved on with their lives, but she stayed the same, she caught bad guys, smugglers, serial killers and small time crooks but nothing made a difference in the loneliness she felt.

It wasn't that she couldn't get a man, there were plenty of offers and there were many times she tried to find a guy but no matter how perfect they seemed to be she just couldn't connect with them the same way she could with Jeff. There he was again; he was on her mind all the time. When she was walking around with a blank expression she imagined him smirking and making an off handed comment, when she couldn't sleep and made coffee she imagined him already having the coffee made and smiling knowingly. And when she curled up in her single sized bed she imagined him holding her in the night, the faint cologne he would wear, his beard tickling her neck, his warm arms holding her to him and his quiet snoring.

It was strange, sure he was attractive, and she really did care about him but she was scared around him, always scared that the slightest touch would break him, she realized the first time she had touched him was the night a week before the Normandy was going down. He was warm. She shook her head and willed the thoughts away. It wasn't fair how he did this to her now that he was gone. It definitely wasn't fair confessing to her like that and that night… when he made the tape, she touched him then. She smiled as she lost herself in her memory.

_I held the camera as we walked at his pace down to the mess to get some coffee and have our nightly talks. It took us five minutes to get to the elevator but I didn't mind, I couldn't sleep anyway. As he leaned against the wall I took him in like every night we were together, he lifted his cap and I could see his green eyes shining at me, it warmed me a little whenever his eyes locked on mine. He smiled, I never really minded the beard, it just made Joker Joker. He had a deceptively strong body even if his bones were brittle, it was quite evident when he crossed his arms and his chest flexed. I turned my gaze upwards. I don't know if he knew I was looking but damn him and his… nicely toned muscles, that I just want to touch. "No bad shepard! He's your pilot for god sake… that I just want to touch just once, NO!" I caught his eyes and he flashed his grin. Yep he noticed. Luckily he didn't say anything, I don't know if I could keep my tone professional if he did. _

_Like usual he made the coffee because he said and I quote "stop making coffee, every time I come up here and drink some I feel like I'm getting the black lung with how burnt it tastes." So now he made coffee and for that I was grateful, my coffee really was horrible. He handed me my mug and I couldn't help but notice how his muscles moved under the shirt. "Move damn it." I stared a death glare at the shirt but that's when I saw that look on his face. _

"_Um commander it's just you and me up here." Joker looked around trying to see if there were any hidden crew members. My face turned a bright red or that's what it felt like as I realized I had said it out loud. I subtly tried to drown my embarrassment with a quick sip of coffee. _

"_Well how have you been Shepard?" Joker gave me that type of smile that makes me weak in the knees but I push all things Joker related from my mind. _

"_Fine, just the usual, Reapers want to kill us, the galaxy wants to kill us, and the council doesn't want to help us." So I've been a little stressed." I shrug my shoulders and avoid his stare and stir my coffee. Then I felt electricity rush up my arm and I couldn't help but gasp as his surprisingly rough hand which now covered mine slightly squeezed. I don't know when he became so bold, maybe he just saw that I was hiding more than I showed, maybe he just knew that the job was getting to me but what he said next tore down all my barriers. _

"_You don't have to do it alone Tera. I'll always be here to support you." Jokers' ever present was surprisingly absent and in front of her now stood a serious man who understood that she wanted to bear the weight of the universe but he wanted to support her, help her with the weight and not carry it for her. Before she knew it she had walked into him and tears dared to spill from her eyes. She felt his arms come around her shoulders and she just stood there crying into his shirt. She didn't know how long he was holding her or how long she cried into him but she did know that it felt good; there was something there that wasn't there with Kaidan, something that just warmed her to her core._

_He didn't say anything, and in a way I guess that's just what I needed, someone who would just let me be a woman and not the great Commander Shepard or the Hero of the Citadel. "Tera" I nearly blushed when he said my name so… so huskily. I slowly lifted my head; I didn't notice my hands clung to his shirt as if I was afraid that if I let him go he'd be gone. I looked into his green eyes and I felt so embarrassed looking like a mess. Before I could apologize for his shirt he put his thumb on my lips and I couldn't help but want him to touch me more. His thumb outlined my lip and then went to my eye where the tear originated from. _

"_You don't have to say anything." He leaned forward and his lips claimed mine. It was soft, it was needed, it was tender, and a kiss that I didn't want to end… but I wasn't ready for it. I broke the kiss and I regretted it, his face told all. _

"_Joker… it's not that I don't want t..." _

"_It's fine Commander. I crossed a line and I'm sorry for compromising our work relationship." His face was stony and that's what shocked me the most. He always smiled at me and his voice was always soft and gentle, but now he just shut me out. He grabbed the camera and left. I thought about chasing after him but the side that was hurt, the side that said I wasn't done mourning Kaidan and that I wasn't ready to lose someone else stopped me. We left it at that and the next morning it was like nothing happened, but deep down we could feel the change, he wasn't as nice and I wasn't as open._

/real time/

I whipped the tears from my face as I came back from my daydream. "Stupid Joker." I mumbled. If he would've let me explain, maybe if she had followed him, maybe if she just kept on kissing him she wouldn't be so lost now. "Stop it" I told myself. If I kept questioning maybes or what ifs' to myself I would just go crazy the past was the past… but then why do I feel so empty. I looked out the window into empty space and wondered. I wonder if he ever found the stars so pretty and if he had ever wanted to watch them with me. I pulled my blanket over my shoulders and imagined his arms around me, his warm breath against my skin, his faded cologne and his beard slightly itching my skin. His warm lips around mine, it wasn't fair, not fair that she left him and didn't let her have the chance to say she loved him. She held back the tears and turned away from the stars. Falling into her bed she just wished that he could come back and she could tell him how she felt, and say sorry and try to make up for the hurt that she had given him and try to make him as happy as possible.

/

In a lab on a frozen planet, a young man screamed as his body changed. Doctor's stood all around as the quickly replaced heavily damaged tissue and other parts of his body with cloned genetic samples and replacements. The density weave strengthening his bones to normal human levels and his body becoming a mixture of both man and machine. Meanwhile a man stood above it all, he sat behind the glass, a small cigar burning in the darkness, his silver eyes shining with appraisal and confidence. A door slid open and a woman who could only be descried as perfect walked in, her heels clicking the ground with every step.

"the subject is accepting the implants rather well and we are getting a good feedback on his alpha and beta brain waves… in other words we're bringing him back rather successfully."

The man dashed his cigar and took another puff. "Good, make sure that the Weaves properly graft to his bones, we don't need him breaking another one for a long while."

The woman nodded but hesitated to leave. "What is it?" the man turned in his chair and looked directly into his second in commands eyes. The silver always made the woman shiver.

"Are you sure you want to spend so many credits on this one man? What could we possibly gain?" the woman walked next to her employer and down at the still screaming man.

The man smirked. "The best damn pilot in the Alliance fleet and if my other project goes well we may also acquire the assistance of one Tera Shepard." The woman turned sharply to her boss and looked him in the eyes.

"What makes you think that she would help us? After all she's done to destroy our organization we should be taking her down." Her eyes were filled with fire but the man just waved it off.

"She wants to fight the Reapers and she's been the only one to ever take one down."*inhale* *exhale* "the council is holding her back and humanity will need all the strength it has to defeat these Reapers." The man smirked as he said "and what better way to convince her we mean well, then bringing back her good friend Jeff "Joker" Moreau." The woman sighed and left. The man looked down as the doctors and surgeons finished their twelve hour procedure. Now all they would have to do is let him recover and inform one Tera Shepard of an offer he would like to extend to her and everything would fall into place.

**El Mano: dun dun dun, what have they done to Joker, how will shepard feel about her person of affection has come back alive, and how will Joker take to rising from the dead? Stay tuned for more Mass Effect: Jokers tale. Remember I don't own anything and review!**


	3. The Stage

**El Mano: so here we go, the third chapter, thank you for all the reviews please keep them up. Thank you so very much. I hope you all remember I don't own anything. **

Chapter 3: The Perfect woman meets the Broken man

"As a child I grew up in books, the extranet and in fantasies. I dreamt of running, of doing what normal kids do. I never imagined that I would one day fly the greatest space ships in the entire universe."

"_Normandy?" _

Yes the Normandy… my baby, she was everything to me.

"_Well__the__Normandy__was__very__special.__"_

"No… not the Normandy."

"_Well then what was?"_

"SHEPARD!"

/

I scream… that's all I remember I'm screaming, incredible pain racks my body. I can't move, I'm strapped down. The lights are incredibly bright, but I can see these masked men evaluating me as if I'm under a microscope and just another subject. I scream in protest at the violation of myself in front of these strange masked men. My eyes look down and I realize I can see my own heart beating erratically until a doctor pumps drugs into my iv, lowering my heart rate but I'm still panicking. They remove my tibia with some difficulty and I feel it, I don't know how I feel it. I just do. They scrutinize it for a second before discarding it. Then they pick up this shiny metallic structure that resembles it and placing it in. It feels like I'm in a horrible hell, **"****TERA!****" **I scream, I yell her name. I do not know why but somehow I know she can hear me.

/

"AHH!" I shot up out of my covers. Sweat was pouring from my body, I felt so cold, and the dream was real, almost too real. I wiped my hand across my head, I tried to catch my breath but joker… it was joker in the dream I would know his voice from anywhere. "I have to find him!" I shot up and almost ran to find him but I stopped myself. Joker was dead and I couldn't find him even if I wanted to, the alliance couldn't find his body and none of my contacts including the shadow broker knew or had any idea where he was. I stood in the center of my room for a good ten minutes before I decided to take a shower to get rid of the sweat and the memory of the dream.

I washed slowly, the warm water was just what I needed, then I thought about him. His touch… I remember his warm breath on my neck as he held me close that night, his soft kiss. His rough touch I wanted to feel that on my body. And to my shock I found myself climaxing, my hands not where I remember them being instead where I imagined his hands were. I blushed immediately embarrassed at how I must've looked. I washed myself a second time with no repeat performance. I still wanted him though; I could never want someone else. I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my body. I almost had a heart attack noticing the time. I blushed a brighter shade of red; I was in the shower for a good hour. I shook my head and sat at my terminal opening messages. I was about to turn it off when something appeared in my inbox.

"**Commander Shepard,**

**We have a lead on an oncoming attack on a human colony, the attack will come two weeks after this message and we of the council feel that such a matter should be easily taken care of by one of your caliber."**

**Council secretary, **

**Caril 'Tso**

Tera sighed; she hated being directed by the council. They were always so… bossy. But I guess it was their job for the "intergalactic community". She laughed at her joker impersonation. He always knew how to make her laugh. For him she would protect humanity because he saved her and to change because he died… he wouldn't have wanted that. I dressed quickly into my standard N7 armor, kicking the bottom shelf of the closet which allowed the walls to slide back revealing the custom items, that a specter like me have come to enjoy.

The newly made, custom stock riot suppressing multi-grenade launcher, with three types of ammunition, lethal, non-lethal and the all too popular "bouncing betty"; It was a descendant of the Earth based mine version but now it could auto burrow, it was good for retreats and ambushes. Next was a fresh "off the factory floor" Tsunami shotgun with a custom suppressing choke barrel making the gun more accurate and changing the loud gun into a silent killer. Then there was the "Reaper" a sniper rifle of incredible caliber, totally custom. So deadly that the council outlawed any mass production of said rifle. But being a specter had its privileges. With a tri-barrel extension, reducing heat output capacity and having the ability to send "fifty caliber rounds" into the head of any target at near the speed of light with hardly any kickback, it was the perfect long range artillery rifle ever produced. This was the perfect rifle. Finally the pistol, with a nine inch barrel, it was known simply as the "compensator". It had a hell of a kick back, but if you wanted to take down a target regardless of shields then the compensator would touch you in ways that left a hole in your beating heart.

"Awe, look who missed mommy." Tera picked up one of her most prized possession, an eight inch battle tested blade with a black custom steel grip that fit snugly in her hand and slid easily in her boot. She was now ready for the day.

/Half a year ago/

Beep….beep…beep… beep.

"Stop, the goddamn beeping!" Joker picked up the bed pan but instantly dropped it and held his arm in pain. The slight clicks of heels went unnoticed as joker cursed moving at all. He turned as soon as she cleared her throat and tapped her pen against her charts. He looked definitely sure that she had to be built to look like that.

Her black hair fell like a waterfall to just past her shoulder. Her slightly pale skin was unblemished, her eyes held contempt for him, but otherwise they were a beautiful shade of brown. Her lips pressed together in almost a pout but it was definitely cute and her body… he wasn't even going to go there, his eyes looked her over without any shame, she wore the skin tight cat suit so it wasn't his fault he liked what he saw. He looked back at her eyes. They showed slight amusement, but mostly anger.

"Mr. Moreau, I would appreciate it if you do not ogle your doctor." Her voice had a hint of Australian in it and he cocked an eyebrow at the accent.

"Well how about you get out of the cat suit and then we'll talk." Jeff wiggled his eye brows suggestively.

The insanely beautiful woman shrugged and started to unzip the cat suit which caused a critical patient to flail and cry out both in pain and shock as he tried to convince the woman that he was joking. The woman chuckled lightly and joker realized that he had been played.

She pouted out her lips as she gazed at his chart and looking at him occasionally. Her beautiful brown eyes making him fidget a little.

"Well everything seems to be functioning normally, all cybernetics and genetic weaves are doing what they were meant to and it seems that your bones are adapting well with the synthetic upgrades." She took a sharp intake of breath and looked up into his eyes before looking back at the chart bringing it up to her face and walking out very fast.

I just turned on my side. "Shit." I can feel the spasm before it hit.

Lights flashed in my eyes, and I can't feel my feet, my lips are dry but that may be because I'm biting them. The doctors would later on tell me that my body would function normally; my bones were remade into a proper form of god. And I could even dance on my own two legs. The shit part, the part where every story tale leaves out…. Is that this "hero" the thing that makes me angry about, is the god that everyone believes in, is that he also had to give me a degenerative condition. Almost like cancer. Cerberus could cure this disease; they had the resources and the time to research and develop a cure. It would most likely have a 55% of killing me. I had a year to live before the disease would cripple me as a vegetable this time. A year, 4 billion credits, 12 of the best minds in the galaxy and death himself, and I came back, I came back for her, to live my life to tell her how I felt… now I had a disease that would kill me if I didn't work for a terrorist group that me, her and the entire crew fought against. I guess I did something shitty in my old life.

The lights flash one more time and I fall into a fitful sleep. The thoughts of Shepard plaguing my dreams. I remember…. I remember her smile.

/present/

The councils got me on a ship. A ship to some colony world that I don't give two shits about to stop an attack from an enemy I have no idea about. It sounds super suspicious and very very familiar, like oh I don't know, Eden Prime all over again.

"Ma'am, we will be landing on Freedoms Progress soon." Shepard looked down at the young man straight out of boot. He had to be just 19 if not a day. His eyes spoke of ignorance and not those of a man dedicated to his work and ready to die if need be… he would die crying for his mom not charging enemy lines. She nodded and walked off the bridge of the small alliance frigate transporting her. It was nothing compared to what the Normandy was or ever could be. She didn't say anything as she jumped into the military transport next to the young man who she scrutinized on her way down here. He smiled at her and she kept her eyes on the dark space that took the man she loved. With barely a shudder the transport lifted up and started the journey to the planet below.

It wasn't a long flight down but the recruits on the transport made jokes and otherwise innuendos about killing the enemy and being badass. Not surprisingly the man smiled as he joked with his buddies. she hopped off the transport and found the leader of the colonist as they dug trenches and other fortifications for the buildings. The AAF (anti-air flack) towers stood still no signs of sweeping or scanning.

The leader shook her hand and welcomed her. He wasn't a bad looking man with dirty blond hair, nicely shaped face and light blue eyes but she could smell the bureaucracy on him. "Lucas Stal ma'am, we've done as asked and have prepared for the worst, what else do you need us to do?"

Shepard started walking and the surprised Lucas hesitantly followed. She motioned to the armory "get the civilians weapons, my boys will teach them how to use it, get those two over there." she pointed at two men in a corner smoking a pipe. "And lock them in a room, they're no good to us stoned, the trenches have to be deeper, get more sand bags against the outlining, and for the love of god get those MOTHER FUCKING AAF TOWERS UP AND RUNNING!" Lucas stopped dead in his tracks scared. Shepard turned to him and grinned sadistically at him. "We fight a battle, we plan for a war." She turned around and kept walking.

"y-yes ma'am" Lucas turned and started to get to work.

/somewhere on a silent ship/

A black masked and armored man tapped a few keys on the console in front of him, inputting data before reaching the mass relay. He turned and saw the crew that worked diligently and didn't make a peep. He sighed and leaned back. The ship glided like a bird toward the Mass Relay and he grinned under the mask. "I 'm coming." He whispered as the Mass Relay shot him half way across the galaxy.

**El Mano: so heres the newest chapter, I want to thank those who reviewed and for those that didn't… PLEASE REVIEW! Im pretty pathetic that way, I need constant praise to keep going anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter keep on rocking. I don't own anything. **


	4. Down and Dirty

**El Mano: hey im back and im thankful for the reviews, I hope I get more. I hope those who view my story is happy with what im doing. Remember I don't own anything. Next chapter little spoiler at the bottom.**

Chapter 4: Down and Dirty

"MAMA! Oh god it hurts! Ah!"

"Somebody shut him up!" Shepard yelled in her com, Her HUD lighting up her cold unfeeling eyes as she gunned down another bug thing. She ducked as another volley of death rained above her. The loud shockwaves and booms of the AAF towers had long since been silenced; the only sounds that assaulted her ears were the sounds of rapid fire, shouted and obscure orders and the screams of dying boys who shouldn't have left boot. She looked down at the screaming man crying for his mom, her eyes widened as she realized that it was Stevens. The boy who she sat next to on the way down. The medic applied more morphine as he applied pressure to Stevens bleeding stomach. Her eyes narrowed and out of her boot flew her trusty dagger, embedding itself deep into the oval head of the bug before being pulled down into the trenches with a small tug. Shepard wiped the green blood off the blade and stood once more; the trenches were doing their job, funneling the enemy and providing cover. The three men who covered her were also no more than boys but they held their own, two were civilians and the last was the last able bodied man of her platoon.

"Shit shit shit fuck" she whispered to herself, more of the bugs kept coming in a seeming less amount and all she could do was keep shooting. Suddenly something flew down beside her. She didn't have to look to know it was a grenade.

"GRENADE!" he yelled before the muffled explosion roared out and the feeling of guts splattered her back through her ceramic armor. She gritted her teeth. At least Stevens had proven her wrong; he didn't die screaming for his mom. She would personally give his mother his flag if she survived this death trap the council had gotten her into.

"FALL BACK! Get to the sheds!" she screamed into her mike, but all she got was static and less than she would like groaned replies. The four men piled behind her into the trenches running as fast as they could, the bugs were, if anything, nimble and agile and very close to killing their asses. She shot and reloaded as fast she could the comforting sound of her rifle calmed her so her shots always hit their marks. Halfway through the blood, guts and mud she caught a break and took out her grenade launcher and shot bouncing Betties to cover their escape, saving five rounds for their inevitable last stand. The gunfire had calmed down and all she could hear were the hard grunts of effort of her platoon and her own harsh breathing. She checked her supplies and realized she was on her last clip and only had the rounds of her grenade launcher. She looked at her weathered group and realized if they didn't get reinforcements soon- a massive explosion illuminated the sky as the frigate she arrived on suddenly decided that landing would be a good idea, oh I don't know three miles or so outside the city which had the ability to bury all of them in the rubble of the area they were trying get too. shit.

/masked man/

As the ship fell out of FTL flight he grinned, not that anyone else would notice. He tapped the comms and yelled "all hands report to all stations, we have some bugs to kill." The ship rang out in yells in response. "Jacob get the squad ready, we're going to do a tricky 500, with a side order of sliders and ranch dressing."

"Way ahead of you." Came the response in a baritone voice into the pilots' comms.

The man clicked four buttons handing the reigns of the ship to the onboard Ai simply known as EDI.

"Be Careful Operative-"

"yeah yeah don't get your electron servos all in a knot."

"I do not have the ability or the capability to do such things Operative-"

"EDI Shut Up"

"Roger that, Logging you out Operative-"

"blah blah blah" said the man mocking the supposedly higher intelligence that commanded the cyber warfare for the ship. The man jumped out of his chair and walked steadily into the elevator and down to the Hammerhead where things would soon get dicey; gracefully if not effctively avoiding the running personnel. He met Jacob outside the elevator and smiled at the black man who stood slightly over him. Jacob was a good guy besides working for their mutual employer, they got along quite well but there was always something he couldn't quite trust. Maybe it was because Jacob was the sort of guy who gets along with everyone and tries to just be the golden boy. Or maybe it's because he always calls the last bag of chips in this admittedly advanced citizen warship.

"all ready to go?" Jacob asked as he pulled an assault rifle off his back and tossing the armored man an unmarked rifle.

The man in black armor caught the rifle as he jumped into the hammerhead and into the pilot seat. Before starting up the beast. "Get in already and no heroics young Jacob."

The black man just raised a middle finger and rallied the three other men who were his go to squad.

Rico the demolitions expert, he was a Latino man who always spoke Spanish forcing his teammates to learn the language to understand every curse and rather rude gestures he gave to the rest of the crew. He was 5'5 and had short cropped black hair, a clean shaven face and a shot gun attached to his back as well as the hand cannon he calls Maria. He also was strapped with fifteen grenades and things that went boom. One time they were trapped in a cell. It turns out that the hair band wrapped on his wrist was actually outlined with c4 and the detonator was… swallowed and recovered during their stay. Long story short, all you need to break out of a prison is c4 and a lot of prune juice.

Then there was tank. Naturally he was the smallest guy of the group standing at 5'2. He was the local "I got a chip on my shoulder about my height so I will overcompensate by being the toughest baddest motherfucker with the biggest gun. He currently carried the heaviest equipment which included a rocket launcher, an improved heavy assault rifle, "liberated" from the honest hard working people of whomever the hell he stole it from and a large dagger attached to his hip. He had black hair, which he didn't care or worry about maintaining, and hard rough features that belayed the fact that he was only twenty six.

Finally there was…. Well he didn't really have a name he sort of was a last addition. He simply was referred to as smiley. Basically because he didn't smile. He was requested to accompany them by his employer. Tim for short. He was shady and distant. I hated him instantly. Ruined the mood but hey I needed to work with these people.

"Operative-"

"Goddamn it EDI what do you want!" the man yelled irritated at the fact that he had the engines all primed and ready to go.

"The alliance Frigate of one specter named Tera Shepard has been disabled and has crash landed three miles away from the last reported location of Commander Shepard. I recommend that you try to find Commander Shepard before the known hostiles find her." EDI concluded by logging out.

The man looked back at his crew grinning. "looks like we got a hot LZ boys."

The cheered and Jacob nodded before strapping himself in. The man pushed the controls and was out of his current ship and into the atmosphere of the planet below him as his ship started to engage the enemy ship, still hurt from its dogfight with the alliance frigate.

/

Shepard brushed off the debris and saw that her team was either crushed from rubble or they weren't around anymore. She checked her comms, and got no response. Suddenly a voice grumbled at her. **"farewell little Earth monkey." **(guess who said that.)

She scrambled behind a fallen pillar as the shots and chittering noises of the bugs became apparent. "Fuck this I ain't going down like a little bitch. I survived Earth. I Survived the Skyllian Blitz (sorry for misspelling), I survived Saren and I survived my ship exploding, I won't die because some little bugs think I should." She stood and shouted as she unloaded the last of her clip and picked up another gun of a fallen comrade and kept firing and fighting even as the guns ran out of ammo, as her adrenaline ran out and the edge of her knife became dull. Even as she was shot four times and her Medi-gel was running out. And even as she started to use a bugs arm to viciously kill its comrades.

Time was no longer an issue for her, the only things that mattered were the quesitons she asked herself._ Was there no hope for her? Would she die on this pitiful planet and not even try to stop the Reapers like she promised Jeff in the darkest of nights so his death meant something?__ Would she not be able to visit his grave one last time like she should have before she got onto the fucking frigate that brought her here to die?_

She fell down beside a broken pillar, trying to catch her breath and find something to kill with. A twisted piece of metal was dragged to her by her tired limbs and she held on to it tightly as she heard the steady advance of multiple feet marching toward her position. She pulled off her helmet letting her messy hair fall down and outlined her face. Her face, white from blood loss, didn't distract from her hard eyes. She would see him one way or another but she preferred to be standing when she did. She looked over her cover and saw fifteen left slowly advancing. She tightened her grip as she heard her last bouncing Betty rip through the torso of a now dead bug and stood up jumping over her cover with the metal raised high, the vision of death and goddess of war she was now, the last of strength being used to take out the bastards who would kill innocents and boys who should've been more interested in school and girls than facing death on a battle field. Everything slowed down as they raised their weapons. Hopefully she'd take one down before they mowed her down.

An explosion made her tumble and fall onto the ground as she lost the energy and the one mindedness to cause damage to the enemy. Her vision blurred as the bugs that were caught off guard by the explosion were mowed down by the sounds of shotgun blasts, assault rifle and some explosions from way to overpowered grenades and a missile launcher. All was silent in a brief moment as shouts of "clear" reverberated in the small formerly blocked off area. Suddenly she was turned over a black mask hiding the face of her rescuer, a familiar voice sounded through the mask.

"Never thought I would rescue you Tera."

The man turned as a black man tapped the man's shoulder making him turn and allow her to see the Cerberus logo on the armored man's shoulder.

The man turned back to look at her but he suddenly found himself looking at the sky and feel a dull throb in his head. He watched as she stood up shaking. Using the piece of metal she hit him with as a crutch. He also stood up clutching his head but holding a hand up to stop anyone from restraining her.

"I will die before some Cerberus lapdog takes me in." she growled the declaration with strength she did not possess and he knew she was almost done. He had seen the same face when they were done on Virmire. But he would be there for her like he always would be. He unclasped his helmet. "chill out, it's me."

**El Mano: hopefully you enjoyed that as much as I did. I hope you review, please do it! I need it! Well I don't own anything and if there are any comments or criticism it is welcomed. Flames try burn all you want I wear fireproof underpants. Anyway see yas to the next round. Next chapter spoiler.**

Chapter 5: A Bullet gets Bitten

…_.. you don't write, you never call, and all this time I needed someone or something to hold onto, but you were gone and now I don't know what to feel for you." She crossed her arms and looked out of the port observation deck. _

"_I never left." He smiled at her, his stupid but cute fucking smile was the same, it still had an effect for her and he knew it. But it wasn't to manipulate her; it was so that she could accept he was back. He walked toward her and uncrossed her arms and tilted her face to look into his own. He wiped a small fleeting tear from her cheek with his still soft thumb. _

"_I still love you."_

"_What if I don't?"_

"_Then tell me don't."_

_She didn't look away. "are you my…_

**Hopefully you liked that teaser come back for more peace out homies.**

**-El Mano**


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